Frustrated iron cage drivers

[Ganglylamb]

So today coming back from work, as usual I encounter several traffic jams which I beautifully (legally) lane split between. When getting up to the red traffic light, the car behind me starts revving his engine. Seconds later he creeps up to me - I guess only 10 cm away from my license plate. Light turns green, I gently ride off and this crazy person starts to try and drive me off the road.
Luckily 100 meters down the road there was another traffic jam as usual so I said my goodbyes to him with a gentle wave .

This has happened to me several times including people who deliberately swerve to my side when lane splitting - as in "I am not going forward in this stuck traffic - thou shall not pass!".

Best to steer clear of these people but I wonder if this occurs with other people as well or is it just the Belgian crazy/frustrated driving mentality?

Each time this happens I think I should get my gopro mounted or install some cameras onto the PCX just to have a lovely compilation of these people. On the other hand, filming it won't stop these people from being frustrated so I just ease my mind knowing that I will always drive off with a smile on my face and leave the moping people behind .

I also have to say that around 50% of car drivers around here (a wild estimation as I do not hold a tally counter while riding) do make way for lane splitting motorcycles (including trucks) - so thumbs up for those people.

<double cheers for lane splitting>

[easyrider]

Just human nature unfortunately.Same genetic defect that is probably responsible for every war mankind has promulgated.Jealousy
Be careful in lane splitting..Can be critically dangerous.

[Old Grinner]

I swear the digital revolution/evolution has had a real effect on "highway psychosis" by the abundant availability of "TV Games" in the last 30 years or so. People aren't looking at things "realistically" and are treating other people as things rather than beings.

Watch out when you are riding in areas where there is a lot of "road kill". If they can't slow down for squirrels or raccoons or possums then how in the hell are they going to treat you when you come along?

Best to ride like you are invisible as other's have said and just play it safe.

One other thing is that with all the international travel these days you may have drivers out there who are not familiar with the traffic laws and culture in your area. So what may seem perfectly legal and OK to you in your region may seem out of place and not acceptable to a visitor.

[Mel46]

We have an area that marks one entrance to our subdivision. If is a marked yellow triangle with yellow striped posts. These posts are replaced every 6 months because of cage drivers who do not want to wait with the rest of the traffic, so they gun their engines, drive into the clearly marked no driving area, sometimes even jump the curb, and race ahead of everyone in line. The right turn lane starts shortly after the no driving area but these drivers use the turn lane as their way to cut in front of everyone and go straight from the turn lane. There have been quite a few accidents caused by these drivers, but no one seems to have learned from those accidents.

[Old Grinner]

We have an area that marks one entrance to our subdivision. If is a marked yellow triangle with yellow striped posts. These posts are replaced every 6 months because of cage drivers who do not want to wait with the rest of the traffic, so they gun their engines, drive into the clearly marked no driving area, sometimes even jump the curb, and race ahead of everyone in line. The right turn lane starts shortly after the no driving area but these drivers use the turn lane as their way to cut in front of everyone and go straight from the turn lane. There have been quite a few accidents caused by these drivers, but no one seems to have learned from those accidents.

Know what you mean. It's like those people who cut through business parking lots that are on a corner near a traffic light to side step the wait.

I'm seeing more people making turns lately without using turn signals also. I think they have a cell phone in one hand and the other hand on the steering wheel. No third hand to prompt the turn indicator. . ..

[you you]

Quick size 12 to the door doesnt hurt.

[Mel46]

Yes, even though it is against the law to drive while using the phone unless it is hands-free, most of the drivers in our area blatantly ignore the law. It would not surprise me if a cop pulled someone over for using their phone while driving and they had the cop wait until they were through with their call before responding to him.

I can't believe how many drivers I have seen speeding through intersections while on the phone, sometimes right after it changed to red. The phone seems to be an important part of their anatomy.

Just yesterday I was sitting at a light with the lane beside me empty, when an individual in an SUV, on the phone, drove right through the red light at normal speed. Right after that the crossing traffic light changed to yellow, so you can see that it had been red for a couple of minutes. I wonder how many other lights they had gone through before that one...

[gn2]

When such morons pull across to block you, just nip round the other side of them.
NEVER engage in conversation or gestures with these people, in scooter/bike vs cage collision there will only ever be one winner.
Best to ignore them completely.

[Mel46]

Agreed. The only time I have EVER engaged a car driver while I was on my scooter was when they moved into my lane while on the phone... and proceeded to move me against the center median cement divider.

My horn was useless at that time because I had not installed my air horn yet. When it got to the point where I had to do something or become a statistic, I kicked their door. Believe me when I say that is very hard to do without tipping over. I had to use the back of my heel. (Very hard on the knee, by the way.)

It got her attention, and that was the objective. She looked at me with a shocked look and swerved away from me immediately. If there had been a car on that other side of her, she would have most definitely hit it! She still did not hang up her phone though.

[Old Grinner]

When such morons pull across to block you, just nip round the other side of them.
NEVER engage in conversation or gestures with these people, in scooter/bike vs cage collision there will only ever be one winner.
Best to ignore them completely.

Agreed. The only time I have EVER engaged a car driver while I was on my scooter was when they moved into my lane while on the phone... and proceeded to move me against the center median cement divider.

Painful story Mel. Ouch!

gn2 is right about not engaging in conversation or gestures with others (by choice). But you were clearly forced into a situation you had not foreseen.

I really disliked it when they filled in the grass medians on my portion of I-95 with "Jersey Barriers". There are just 2 north bound and 2 south bound lanes. It gets crowded. I guess there were either too many "wrong way" drivers or too many drivers losing control and careening across into the oncoming lanes to justify the big expense. Now there's nowhere to go. . .much like a "cattle chute". At least when there was grass you had some space to get past danger. Those instances when you pull into the passing lane and are suddenly put into the "squeeze" are for the most part live or die situations. It's one of the main reasons why I don't enjoy riding on Interstate Highways around my area anymore.

And as an added note. . .and I've mentioned this before. . .I continue to see more and more drivers stopped at green lights and just go on red lights. It's one thing when they are texting and the light turns green and they still sit there. But it's another thing when the light is green and they stop for it. What the???

[Mel46]

We had a guy do that in front of us yesterday. Even honking didn't get him moving. Then the light turned red and he went!

We caught up with him several blocks later. He looked like he was 95 and couldn't see. What colors get mixed up when you are color blind?? What happens when you are too old to drive but get behind the wheel anyway?? No wonder there are old folks crashing their cars into plate glass windows!

[gn2]

In the UK you are allowed to drive if you're colour blind because the lights can be identified by their positions.
Green is always on the top, amber in the middle and red at the bottom.

[Mel46]

Unfortunately some streetlights here have been turned sideways so large trucks can pass under them. They have also done this in areas where the wire that holds them up is stretched a great distance. Winds can play havoc on those.

[gn2]

Very unusual for our traffic lights to be above the roadway, they're normally at the sides of the road and mounted on very substantial poles.

[GeorgeSK]

Wrong side of the road AND upside down traffic lights? I'm doomed if I ever visit....

At least the colors should work out.

[E. Foster Salsbury]

In the UK you are allowed to drive if you're colour blind because the lights can be identified by their positions.
Green is always on the top, amber in the middle and red at the bottom.

What? Green isn't on the bottom?
Once again gn2 isn't always right.

[you you]

In the UK you are allowed to drive if you're colour blind because the lights can be identified by their positions.
Green is always on the top, amber in the middle and red at the bottom.

What? Green isn't on the bottom?
Once again gn2 isn't always right.

Perhaps he is position blind?

[Mel46]

We have some extremely wide intersections, sometimes 3 lanes in each direction. For those the stop lights are hung from a wire in the center as well as on poles.

When we get 40 mph winds the lights hung lengthwise may end up being blown at a 45 degree angle, making them hard to see. That is when traffic control turns them sideways, as well as adding turn lane arrows.

One intersection in particular around here has been declared statistically the most dangerous intersection in Georgia.

[WhiteNoise]

In the UK you are allowed to drive if you're colour blind because the lights can be identified by their positions.
Green is always on the top, amber in the middle and red at the bottom.

What? Green isn't on the bottom?
Once again gn2 isn't always right.

Perhaps he is position blind?

Nah, He wants to know If Ya'll are paying attention congrats! You were

[WhiteNoise]

On this quiet Florida farmland road

image.jpeg (68.36 KiB) Viewed 1557 times

a raised Ford 350 truck came out of nowhere barreling towards me blowing his mighty mighty horn. Right on my tail he swerved and flew around me. I glanced over, His eyes could kill. Talk about crazy?... Mad as a hatter arsewhole!